Wednesday, March 07, 2018

Pura Belpré Award Ganadores 2018

The award is named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian
at the New York Public Library. The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is
presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best
portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an
outstanding work of literature for children and youth. It is co-sponsored by
the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the
American Library Association (ALA), and REFORMA, the National Association to
Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking,
an ALA affiliate.

2018 Author Award Winner

Lucky Broken Girl, by Ruth Behar. Published by
Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

In Lucky Broken Girl, fifth-grader Ruthie Mizrahi, newly
arrived to the United States from Cuba in the 1960’s, is confined to a
full-body cast after a life-changing accident. Surrounded by her Cuban-Jewish
family and a diverse group of neighbors, Ruthie finds strength and courage to
heal and grow. The book was published byNancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of
Penguin Random House LLC.

“Ruth Behar draws from her childhood experience to tell a story
that celebrates Latinx experience while affirming the resilience of children
facing both universal and specific challenges,”said Pura Belpré Award Committee
Chair Alicia K. Long.

2018 llustrator Award Winner

La Princesa and the Pea,
illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal, written by Susan Middleton Elya, and
published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

La Princesa and the Pea is a tale set amid guinea
pigs, stone arches, and fuzzy indigenous Peruvian textiles. Juana
Martinez-Neal’s mischievous characters play out the classic
princess-and-the-pea tale—with a twist. Cultural elements inspired by the
Peruvian village of Huilloc and the Colca Canyon add vibrancy and playfulness
in Martinez-Neal’s acrylic and colored pencil illustrations.

“Martinez-Neal’s masterful character and setting design, along
with her incorporation of Peruvian cultural elements, make this book exquisite
and unmatched,” said Pura Belpré Award Committee Chair Alicia K. Long.

2018 Author Honor Books

The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora, by Pablo
Cartaya. Published by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

In The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora, Arturo spends the
summer working at his beloved Abuela’s Cuban restaurant in a Miami
neighborhood. When Arturo learns of a greedy land developer’s plans to tear
down the building, he enlists the help of his friends to save the restaurant.
This humorous coming-of-age tale celebrates family, music and poetry, and
embraces failure as a springboard to growth.

The First Rule of Punk, by Celia
C. Pérez. Published by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

12-year-old Malú O’Neill-Morales is biracial, Latinx, and punk.
Tasked with being a “señorita,”she instead follows the first rule of punk: “Be
Yourself.” Malú creates zines about her inner thoughts while navigating a new
school where she’s not seen as Latinx enough, starting a punk band along the
way.

2018 Illustrator Honor Books

All Around Us, illustrated by Adriana M. Garcia,
written by Xelena González, and published by Cinco Puntos Press

The cycle of life is explored through the eyes of a grandfather
and his granddaughter, in the Mestizo tradition. Vivid digital images use
colorful contours and vibrant color to depict visible and invisible circles in
everyday life.

Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos,
illustrated by John Parra, written by Monica Brown, and published by NorthSouth
Books, Inc., an imprint of NordSüd Verlag AG

The connections between Frida Kahlo and her xoloitzcuintles,
monkeys, turkeys, and other pets are palpable in John Parra’s warm, expressive
acrylic illustrations. Details of Mexican folk art ground the story as facial
and body expressions from Frida and animalitos reinforce their relationship,
showing how Frida was comforted and inspired by her pets and how her
personality was shaped by and reflected in them.